Comparison

Orbitrack vs SkySafari 7 Plus

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Orbitrack

Explore thousands of satellites in orbit with this augmented and virtual reality spaceflight simulator. Visualize spacecraft, track their paths, and learn about their missions with detailed 3D models and real-time data. Experience space from a new perspective.

Highlights
  • Augmented and Virtual Reality modes
  • Track over 5000 spacecraft
  • Detailed 3D satellite models
  • Voice-controlled VR
  • Radio frequency data for amateur satellites
  • Real-time satellite data updates
  • Time Flow controls
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Orbitrack is a brand-new, Augmented-and-Virtual-Reality satellite tracker and spaceflight simulator! It's your pocket guide to the thousands of spacecraft in orbit around our home planet. 1) More than 16,000 spacecraft, including all active satellites, classified military satellites, the International Space Station, and SpaceX's Starlink communication satellites. 2) Rich new graphics, rewritten using Apple's Metal graphics API, show atmospheric effects, city lights on Earth’s night side, and highly-detailed 3D satellite models. 3) Voice-controlled Virtual Reality mode that works with any smartphone VR viewer. iPhone only. 4) A true "augmented reality" mode that helps you find satellites in the sky by blending the sky chart with video from your phone's camera. Works with Orbit and Satellite views too! 5) Radio frequency data for amateur radio satellites. 6) Updated descriptions for hundreds of spacecraft. Every satellite now has a description from n2yo.com. 7) Supports the latest Apple hardware and software: iPhone 13, iPad Pro, and iOS 15. Check the Mac App Store for our MacOS version! 8) Requires at least iPhone 6 or iPad Air with 64-bit processor and iOS 12 or later. 9) New sound effects and ambient background music. 10) New Time Flow controls let you easily set the date and time, and animate the view. If you're new to Orbitrack, here's what it can do: • Track thousands of satellites. Orbitrack will tell you when spacecraft pass overhead, show you where to find them in the sky, and let you track them across the planet. • Teach you about the International Space Station, Starlink, and hundreds of other satellites in orbit, with comprehensive mission descriptions. • Show the view from any satellite, and see the Earth from orbit just as the “bird” sees it! Orbitrack includes detailed 3D models for dozens of satellites – see them up close from any angle! • Stay on top of the space race. Orbitrack updates its satellite data from n2yo.com and celestrak.com every hour. When new spacecraft are launched, maneuver into new orbits, or fall back into the atmosphere, Orbitrack shows you what’s happening up there, right now. Orbitrack isn’t just powerful – it’s incredibly easy to use! You don’t need an aerospace degree to become an expert satellite tracker. Orbitrack puts advanced capabilities at your fingertips, with the same intuitive touch interface you use every day. The new VR mode is an out-of-this-world experience. Become an astronaut without ever leaving Planet Earth! And if that’s not enough, Orbitrack includes detailed, built-in Help – and expert, responsive technical support.

About

SkySafari 7 Plus

Explore the cosmos with a powerful space simulator and telescope control. Discover astronomical events, track celestial objects, and plan your stargazing sessions with real-time data and historical simulations.

Highlights
  • Full-featured space simulator
  • Telescope control (ASCOM Alpaca, INDI)
  • Events Finder for astronomical occurrences
  • Real-time user observation tracking (OneSky)
  • Guided stargazing sessions (SkyCast)
  • Observation planning and recording tools
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
Features
Read full description

SkySafari 7 Plus goes beyond most basic stargazing apps by providing you with a full-featured space simulator with telescope control. If you are looking to dive deeper into astronomy, start your journey with the #1 recommend app for amateur astronomers since 2009. Note that there is no discount upgrade path from SkySafari 7 Plus to SkySafari 7 Pro. Choose carefully! Here's what’s new in version 7: + Complete support for iOS 15 and iPhone 13. Version 7 brings a new and immersive stargazing experience. + Events Finder - go to the new Events section to unlock a powerful search engine that finds astronomical events visible tonight and far into the future. The finder dynamically generates a listing of moon phases, eclipses, planetary moon events, meteor showers and planetary phenomenon such as conjunctions, elongations and oppositions. + Notifications - the notifications section has been completely revamped to allow you to customize and manage which events trigger an alert notification on your device. + Telescope Support - telescope control is at the heart of SkySafari. Version 7 takes a giant leap forward by supporting ASCOM Alpaca and INDI. These next generation control protocols allow you to effortlessly connect to hundreds of compatible astronomical devices. + OneSky - allows you to see what other users are observing, in real time. This feature highlights objects in the sky chart and indicates with a number how many users are observing a particular object. + SkyCast - allows you to guide a friend or group around the night sky through their own copy of SkySafari. After initiating SkyCast, you can generate a link and conveniently share it with other SkySafari users via text message, apps or social media accounts. + Sky Tonight - jump to the new Tonight section to see what’s visible in your sky tonight. Expanded information has been designed to help plan your night and includes Moon & Sun info, calendar curations, events and the best positioned deep sky and solar system objects. + Improved Observation Tools - SkySafari is the perfect tool to help you plan, record and organize your observations. New workflows make it easier to add, search, filter and sort data. + Home Screen and Lock Screen Widgets keep your favorite astro information at your fingertips. The Small Touches: + You can now edit the Jupiter GRS Longitude Value in the Settings. + Better Moon Age calculation. + New grid & reference options allow you to display Solstice and Equinox markers, Orbit Node markers for all solar system objects, and tick marks and labels for the Ecliptic, Meridian, and Equator reference lines. + Previous In-app Purchases are Now Free - this includes the H-R diagram and 3D Galaxy view. Enjoy. + Many more. If you haven't used SkySafari 7 Plus before, here's what you can do with it: + Hold your device up, and SkySafari 7 Plus will find comets, stars, constellations, planets, and more! + Simulate the night sky up to 10,000 years in the past or future! Animate meteor showers, conjunctions, eclipses, and other celestial events. + Learn the history, mythology, and science of astronomy! Browse over 1500 object descriptions and astronomical images. Stay up-to-date with the Calendar for all major sky events every day! + Control your telescope, log and plan your observations. + Night Vision – Preserve your eyesight after dark. + Orbit Mode. Leave the Earth’s surface behind, and fly through our solar system. + Time Flow – Follow the motion of sky objects as days, months, and years are compressed into a few seconds. + Advanced Search – Find objects using properties other than their name. + Much more! For even more features, and a gigantic database aimed at the most dedicated amateur or professional astronomer, check out SkySafari 7 Pro! https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Orbitrack4 screens
SkySafari 7 Plus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Orbitrack at none against SkySafari 7 Plus's 3. Orbitrack also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 46%) and price ($4.99 vs $9.99). SkySafari 7 Plus's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (14.1 vs 16.6). On rating, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Orbitrack costs $4.99 and SkySafari 7 Plus $9.99 up front. SkySafari 7 Plus sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Orbitrack asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Orbitrack against 4.7 for SkySafari 7 Plus. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 962 and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Orbitrack's written reviews are positive against 46% of SkySafari 7 Plus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Orbitrack ships an update every 4 months, SkySafari 7 Plus monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Orbitrack versus SkySafari 7 Plus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOrbitrackSkySafari 7 Plus
Price$4.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.7 (962 ratings)4.7 (1.7K ratings)
Positive reviews75.6% of reviews — better45.7% of reviews
Number of ratings9621.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#70 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.614.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size138 MB1.1 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSouthern Stars Group, LLCSimulation Curriculum Corp.

Customer experience

Orbitrack

All ratings962 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral3.7%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive75.6%
Neutral9.0%
Negative15.4%

SkySafari 7 Plus

All ratings1,671 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive45.7%
Neutral14.1%
Negative40.2%

User reviews

Orbitrack

From 962 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great features
  • 👍 User-friendly
  • 💡 Innovative tracking
  • 🔍 Detailed satellite information
  • 🌍 Realistic Earth and sky views

Room to improve

  • 🤑 Paid app
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 🔊 Annoying music
  • 🗺️ Outdated satellite data
  • 🔍 Inaccurate magnitude estimates

SkySafari 7 Plus

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app, preferred over Stellarium
  • 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
  • 👍 Useful 'Tonight' tab
  • 👍 Accurate and precise for telescope use
  • 👍 Impressive data and functionality

Room to improve

  • 🙄 Constant upgrade spam and notifications
  • 🐛 'Tonight' feature crashes on iPad
  • 💰 Paid features hidden behind paywall
  • 🐛 Crashes when using 'Tonight' feature
  • 🐛 Syncing and connectivity issues

Bugs and requests

Orbitrack

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Motion tracking issues
  • Stuck on old date
  • Accelerometer not working
  • Satellite positions not accurate

Requested features

5 requests
  • Sort by magnitude feature
  • Favorite satellites option
  • Customizable field of view
  • Notifications for visible passes
  • Metric/imperial toggle

SkySafari 7 Plus

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 'Tonight' feature crashes
  • App crashes on launch or when using certain features
  • Connectivity issues with telescopes
  • Syncing problems between devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more telescope brands and models
  • Improve notification settings to only show relevant events
  • Allow hiding of menu bar for cleaner viewing
  • Improve font sizes and readability
  • Add ability to import observation records from previous versions

In-app purchases

None

Orbitrack

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

SkySafari 7 Plus

Subscriptions2
  • SkySafari Premium Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • SkySafari Premium7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Apollo Lunar MissionsFree

Questions

Is Orbitrack free?
Orbitrack costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SkySafari 7 Plus free?
SkySafari 7 Plus costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Orbitrack or SkySafari 7 Plus?
Orbitrack and SkySafari 7 Plus are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 962 and 1.7K ratings respectively.
Do Orbitrack or SkySafari 7 Plus have ads?
Neither Orbitrack nor SkySafari 7 Plus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Orbitrack or SkySafari 7 Plus?
Orbitrack ships an update every 4 months, and SkySafari 7 Plus monthly. Most recently, Orbitrack was updated on September 21, 2026 and SkySafari 7 Plus on September 24, 2026.

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